Indonesia: 2.8 million workers join national strike

 

Approximately 2.8 million workers are set to strike on Wednesday in a nationwide protest in Indonesia. The strike, taking place in 21 cities and 80 industrial zones across the country is in protest of the government's labour policy; calling for an increase in the minimum wage, and end to outsourcing arrangements, and implementations of national healthcare. 

Said Iqbal, the head of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI), said the workers would stage a series of strikes across the country in order to remind the Indonesian government of their seriousness.

“We are serious about holding strikes until the government listens to our demands. We are waiting for immediate solutions to the chronic issues,” Iqbal said.   Iqbal added that if the government failed to address the workers’ demands and not provide them with health insurance, 10 million workers in 28 provinces would stage a national strike in November for seven consecutive days.

The strike is a momentous occasion in the history of Indonesia's labour movement, being the first time a national strike has been held in over fifty years of the movement for improved working conditions. 

News courtesy of Blottr.com